England’s Victory Over New Zealand Keeps Pakistan’s Hopes Alive
· BD24 Live
At one point, it seemed this equation might not be solved. New Zealand was ahead. Chasing 160 runs, when England lost 6 wickets for just 117, Cricinfo reported that New Zealand had an 84% chance of winning the match.
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From that precarious position, for England to win, and to keep New Zealand and Pakistan in suspense by taking the Group 2 Super Eight thrill down to the last day, a miracle was needed. England ultimately delivered just that, chasing down the target with 4 wickets and 3 balls to spare.
This victory has intensified the group stage battle. The match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will now determine whether New Zealand or Pakistan will join England in the Super Four from Group 2.
On Friday at the R. Premadasa Stadium, New Zealand posted 159 runs for 7 wickets. The match was not easy for England, who suffered early setbacks. Phil Salt and Jos Buttler were dismissed quickly, leaving the team at 2 wickets for just 2 runs after eight balls.
England lost four wickets for 58 runs in the ninth over, with previous match’s centurion captain Harry Brook departing quickly. Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran then offered a glimmer of hope for England from this difficult situation. However, their dismissals – Curran at 100 runs and Bethell at 117 – pushed England further onto the back foot.
From there, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed steered the team forward. They forged an unbeaten 44-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Jacks scored 32 runs, and Rehan added 19. Their partnership secured the victory for England.
Earlier, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bat. A win would have confirmed their semi-final berth. New Zealand fielded the same team that had convincingly defeated Sri Lanka.
England made one change to their squad, bringing Rehan Ahmed back in place of Jamie Overton. Initially, this decision seemed misguided as New Zealand scored 64 runs without losing a wicket in 6.5 overs.
England then staged a comeback. Adil Rashid dismissed Tim Seifert, who had scored 35 runs off 25 balls. Later, Will Jacks accounted for Finn Allen, who made 29 runs off 19 deliveries.
Rehan Ahmed picked up a wicket with his very first ball of the World Cup, dismissing Rachin Ravindra. Glenn Phillips contributed 39 runs off 28 balls before becoming Jacks’ second victim. Both Rashid and Rehan claimed two wickets each.
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